1851
1851 (MDCCCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Monday "Calendar in year 1851 (Russia)" (Julian calendar, starting Tuesday), webpage: Julian-1851 (Russia used the Julian calendar until 1919). of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). Events of 1851 January - June : Great Exhibition in Hyde Park]] * January 11 - Taiping Rebellion: Hong Xiuquan officially begins the Taiping Rebellion. * January 23 - The flip of a coin determines whether a new city in the Oregon Territory is named after Boston, or Portland, with Portland winning. * March 1 - Victor Hugo uses the phrase United States of Europe in a speech to the French national assembly. * March 11 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto is first performed at La Fenice in Venice. * March 27 - First reported case of white men seeing Yosemite Valley. * March 30 - A population census is taken in the United Kingdom. * April 28 - Santa Clara College is chartered in Santa Clara, California. * May 1 - The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in the Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, London is opened by Queen Victoria. It runs until October 18. * May 15 **Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, the first secret society for women, founded at Wesleyan College in Macon. **Rama IV is crowned King of Thailand. July - September : Rama IV crowned.]] * July - The immortal game, a famous chess game, is played. * July 1 **Colony of Victoria separates from New South Wales. **Serial poisoner Helene Jegado is arrested in Rennes, France * July 10 - University of the Pacific is chartered as California Wesleyan College in Santa Clara * July 29 - Annibale de Gasparis, in Naples, Italy discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia. * August 1 - Virginia closes its Reform Constitutional Convention deciding that all white men have the right to vote. * August 5 - Mount Pelee erupts and kills 30 people. * August 22 - The yacht America wins the first America's Cup race. * September 15 - Saint Joseph's University is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. * September 18 - The New York Times is founded. * September 30 - The Fregatten Eugenies (or the Frigate Eugenie) left from Karlskrona, Sweden to begin its voyage as the first Swedish Royal Navy vessel to circumnavigate the world. October - December : NYT is founded.]] * October - Reuters news service founded. * October 18 - The Great Exhibition in London is closed. * October 24 - Ariel and Umbriel, moons of Uranus, discovered by William Lassell. * November 13 - The Denny Party lands at Alki Point, the first settlers of what will become Seattle. * November 14 - Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick; or The Whale is published in the U.S. by Harper & Brothers, New York - after it was first published, on October 18 in London by Richard Bentley, in 3 volumes as The Whale. * December 2 - Louis Napoleon, president of France, dissolves French National Assembly and declares a new constitution to extend his term. Later he declares himself as an emperor Napoleon III. End of the Second Republic. * December 6 - Trial of Helene Jegado begins; she is eventually sentenced to death and executed by guillotine. * December 9 - The first YMCA (1844) in North America is established in Montreal. * December 24 - The Library of Congress burns. * December 26-27 - Royal Navy warship bombards Lagos island; Oba Kosoko is wounded and flees to Epe. * December 29 - The first Boston YMCA opens (in Massachusetts). Undated * Florida State University is founded. * Gold discovered in Australia by Edward Hargraves * Northwestern University is founded. * St. Paul's College is founded. * Macy's department store founded by R.H. Macy. * A powerful explosion on the sun caused copper wires to burn off in some countries. Ongoing events * Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864) Births January - June *January 17 - A. B. Frost, American illustrator (d. 1928) *January 19 - Jacobus Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer (d. 1922) *January 21 - Reinhard Hetze, Argentinian religious pioneer (d. 1939) *February 8 - Kate Chopin, American writer (d. 1904) *March 19 - William Henry Stark, Business Leader (d. 1936) *March 27 - Vincent d'Indy, French composer and teacher (d. 1931) *March 28 - Bernardino Machado, Portuguese President (d. 1944) *April 13 - Robert Abbe, American surgeon (d. 1928) *April 20 - Young Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (d. 1875) *April 21 - Charles Barrois, French geologist (d. 1939) *May 6 - Aristide Bruant, French cabaret singer and comedian (d. 1925) *May 20 - Emil Berliner, telephone and recording pioneer (d. 1929) *May 21 - Léon Bourgeois, French statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1925) July - December *June 16 - Georg Jellinek, German legal philosopher(d. 1911) *July 15 - Eduardo Gutiérrez, Argentinian author (d. 1889) *July 20 - Arnold Pick, Czechoslovakian neurologist and psychiatrist (d. 1924) *July 24 - Friedrich Schottky, German mathematician (d. 1935) *August 14 - Doc Holliday, American gambler and gunfighter (d. 1887) *September 7 - David King Udall, American politician (d. 1938) *October 2 - Ferdinand Foch, French commander of allied forces in World War I (d. 1929) *December 20 - Dora Montefiore, English suffragist and socialist (d. 1933) *December 30 - Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman and politician (d. 1929) : See also 1851 births. Deaths January - June *January 10 - Karl Freiherr von Müffling, Prussian field marshal (b. 1775) *January 27 - John James Audubon, French-American naturalist and illustrator (b. 1785) *January 31 - David Spangler Kaufman, Congressman from Texas (b. 1813) *February 1 - Mary Shelley, English author (b. 1797) *February 18 - Carl Gustav Jakob Jacobi, German mathematician (b. 1804) *February 23 - Joanna Baillie, Scottish poetess and dramatist (b. 1762) *February 28 - Guillaume Dode de la Brunerie, Marshal of France (b. 1775) *March 9 - Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish scientist (b. 1777) July - December *September 10 - Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, American educator (b. 1787) *September 11 - Sylvester Graham, American nutritionist and inventor (b. 1794) *September 14 - James Fenimore Cooper, American writer (b. 1789) *October 4 - Manuel de Godoy, Spanish statesman (b. 1767) *October 19 - Marie Thérèse Charlotte (b. 1778) *November 26 - Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, French marshal and politician (b. 1769) *December 19 - Joseph Mallord William Turner, English artist (b. 1775) *''date unknown'' - John Brown Russwurm, Abolitionist (b. 1799) : See also 1851 deaths. 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